Rail-joint.



Patented Feb. 25, I902. a. F. STEPHENS.

RAIL JOINT.

(Applicatipq filedfilune 28, 1901.

(No Modal.)

ammntoz Q vihwono 1 w n z llNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN STEPHENS, OF REEVES, TEXAS.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPIEC'IFEGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 693,919, datedFebruary 25, 1902.

Application filed June 28, 1901. Serial No. 66,411. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. STEPHENS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Reeves, in the county of Briscoe and State of Texas,have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in Rail-Joints; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a self-locking rail-joint ofnovel construction and which will preclude the use of bolts or analogousfastcnings, the weight of the rails and their securement to the tiesbeing sufficient to hold the parts of the clamp close against oppositesides of the rail ends.

The clamp consists of parts having interlocking connections, which arebrought to gether or separated by relatively sliding the parts accordingas they are to be coupled or uncoupled, the parts being of similarformation, rights and lefts, and each comprising a base portion and aside portion, the base portions having the interlocking means.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and alsoto acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means foreffecting the result reference is to be had to the following descriptionand drawings hereto attached.

While the essential and characteristic features of theinvention aresusceptible of modification, still the preferred embodiment of theinvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figurel is a perspective view of a rail-joint embodying the invention, partsbeing broken away. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the clamp inverted.Fig. 3 is a section of the clamp, showing the relation of the partseither when first placed together or about to be separated. Fig. 4 is aview similar to Fig. 3, showing the relation of the parts when coupled.Figs. 5 and 6 are detail perspective views showing more clearly theformation of the interlocking means.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

The clamp comprises the members 1 and 2 of similar formation, beingrights and lofts, so as to fit opposite sides of the rails when formingthe joint. Each member consists of a base portion and a side portion,the base portion coming beneath the foot of the rails and the sideportion being adapted to lie againstthe sides of the rails and comebeneath the head thereof. The member 1 has a series of slots or openingsin its base portion 3, said openings being wide at one end, as shown at4, and contractedor narrowed at the opposite.

end, as shown at The edge of the openings adjacent the outer edge of thebase 3 is straight, whereas the opposite edge is broken or offsetconformable to the wide and narrow portions of the openings. The inneredge of the narrow part of the opening is turned upward adjacent thewide part of the opening, as shown at 6, for the purpose presently to bedescribed- The member 2 is provided along the edge of its base portion 7with a series of otlstanding projections, either formed with the memberor secured thereto in any substantialway. These projectionsconsist-severallyof ashank 8, hook 9, and offstanding lip 10, the topside of the lip 10 being a distance below the bottom side of the shank 8corresponding to the thickness of the base 3, thereby admitting of theshank 8 overlying the base 3 and the lip 10 underlapping said base whenthe parts of the clamp are assembled.

The members of the clamp may be cast, pressed, or otherwise formed andare sufficie-ntly stout to withstand the strain to which the clamp willbe subjected in practice. The members of the clamp when brought togetherhave the hooks 9 inserted in the wide or enlarged portions 4 of theopenings of the base 3, the upper ends of the side members beingseparated. After the hooks 9 have been engaged with the wide portions ofthe base 3 the upper ends of the clamp members are brought together andagainst opposite sides of the rails 11, which are placed between themembers of the clamp prior to bringing the upper ends of the sidemembers together. After the upper ends of the clamp members have beenbrought together the members 1 and 2 are moved longitudinally and so asto ICO cause the hooks 9 to pass from the wide ends 4 of the openinginto the narrow ends, and this movement causes the lips 10 to passbeneath the parts 6, bordering upon the inner sides of the narrow parts5 of the opening. By having the corners or ends upwardly bent, as shownat 6, the lips 10 are enabled to pass readily beneath the parts of thebase 3, bordering upon the narrow portions of the opening therein. Asthe lips 10 pass by the part 6 the upper ends of the clamp members areforced together and securely gripopposite sides of the rails. The clampis located so as toextend about an. equal distance upon opposite sidesof the joint formed between proximal ends of adjacent rails. After theclamp has been properly positioned it is secured to the ties by spikes,and, if desired, the joint may be made more secure by bolting the upperends of the clamps through the web of the rail in the usual way,although this is not necessary. To prevent slipping of the clamp when inposition, the vertical portion of its members is provided with innerprojections 12 to enter openings or corresponding depressions in thewebs at the end portions of the rails. These projections 12 may bepressed from the clamp members or provided in any desired way.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. In arail-joint, a clamp composed of complementary parts, each consisting ofa base and a side portion,-1he base of one of the parts having openingscomprising a wide and a narrow portion, and projections applied to theopposite part and comprising hooks and otfstanding lips, the said lipsbeing adapted to underlap the base provided with the openings,substantially as set forth.

2. In a rail-joint, a clamp composed of corresponding parts eachcomprising a base and a side portion, the base of one of the partshaving openings comprising a wide portion and a narrow portion, theinner edge portion of the base bordering upon the narrow part of theopening being upturned, and projections applied to the base portion ofthe other part and comprising a shank, a hook and an ottstanding lip,the latter being adapted to underlap the upturned portion of the basebordering upon the narrow part of the opening, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

3. In a rail-joint, a clamp constructed substantially as set forth, thesame comprising similarly-formed members, rights and lofts, each memberconsisting of a base and a side portion, the base of one of the membershaving a series of openings formed of a wide and a narrow portion andhaving the inner edge of the narrow part of the opening upturned, andhooked-shaped projections applied to the base portion of the oppositemember and formed with oifstanding lips which are adapted to underlapthe inner edge portion of the base bordering upon the narrow part of theopening, the interlocking of the members being efliected by a relativelysliding movement, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN I STEPHENS. [It s] Witnesses:

T. L. ANDERSON, J. W. CowcUT.

